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Citizens raise clenched fists at the Sept. 21 Never Porkget rally at the Luneta spearheaded by #AbolishPork Movement. Photo by Arkibong Bayan.

More and more people want to unite and act against the plunder, misuse and abuse of public funds through the controversial pork barrel. Citizens are outraged by the PDAF scandal involving lawmakers, Janet Napoles and fake NGOs. President BS Aquino himself has been put on the defensive for his own pork barrel, its misuse for bribery, and his refusal to abolish the pork barrel system. Here is a [developing] list of reference materials and links on the issue.

FREEDOM OF INFORMATION: Sen. Grace Poe, chairperson of the Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, and Senator JV Ejercito lead the second hearing on the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill Wednesday, Sept. 18. The committee hopes to reconcile at least 10 different versions of the FOI bill that remains pending at the Senate. (PRIB Photo by Joseph Vidal)
FREEDOM OF INFORMATION: Sen. Grace Poe, chairperson of the Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, and Senator JV Ejercito lead the second hearing on the Freedom of Information (FOI) bill Wednesday, Sept. 18. The committee hopes to reconcile at least 10 different versions of the FOI bill that remains pending at the Senate. (PRIB Photo by Joseph Vidal)

The Senate public information and mass media committee, chaired by Senator Grace Poe, today held a public hearing on the Freedom of Information bills.

The Senate FOI bills are authored by: Senators Angara, A. CayetanoEjercito, EscuderoGuingona, HonasanLegarda, Osmena, and Trillanes.

I made and delivered the following remarks:

Honorable Senator Grace Poe, other honorable Members of the Senate, and fellow citizens, good morning.

Thank you very much, Madame Senator Poe, for the invitation and for the opportunity to share views on the Freedom of Information bills now pending before the Senate.

Long overdue, but now’s the next perfect time

If we could only put CCTVs in every nook and cranny of each government office and assign a Reality TV camera on each public official, maybe we could lessen corruption and make government literally transparent. But that is not possible, impractical and may be legally questionable. The FOI is the next best thing. It gives citizens the flashlight to focus light and the camera to take snapshots on how government operates, spends public funds, and makes transactions, among others.

Outside the Batasang Pambansa where Mr. Aquino delivered his longest SONA, protesters burn an effigy of him. (Pixel Offensive)
Outside the Batasang Pambansa where Mr. Aquino delivered his longest SONA, protesters burn an effigy of him. (Pixel Offensive)

Here is the official transcript or full text of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s state of the nation address delivered before a joint session of Congress on July 22, 2013 at the Batasang Pambansa:

Marami pong salamat. Maupo ho tayong lahat.

Bise Presidente Jejomar Binay; Senate President Franklin M. Drilon; Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr.; Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno at ang ating mga kagalang-galang na mahistrado ng Korte Suprema; mga dating Pangulong Fidel Valdez Ramos at Joseph Ejercito Estrada; mga kagalang-galang na kagawad ng kalipunang diplomatiko; mga miyembro ng Senado at Kamara de Representante; mga opisyal ng lokal na pamahalaan; mga miyembro ng Gabinete; mga unipormadong kasapi ng militar at kapulisan; mga kapwa ko nagseserbisyo sa taumbayan; at sa aking mga Boss, ang mga minamahal kong kababayan:

Mr. Aquino signed the Cybercrime Prevention bill into law last Sept. 12, 2012.

On September 12, President Benigno S. Aquino III signed into law Republic Act 10175, otherwise known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

No doubt about it: Congress – through the House of Representatives, the Senate and the bicameral conference committee – proposed, drafted and finalized the text of the document. The responsibility of Congress ended when the bill was transmitted to and received by the Office of the President for whatever action he wishes to take.

Mr. Aquino could have vetoed the bill.

Hello. I’m Tonyo Cruz @tonyocruz of TweetUpMNL.

Thank you, thank you for coming. Thank for watching and tweeting. Thank you to our speakers. Thank you to our supporters AIM, Smart, Globe, Sureseats, Ayala Malls, and Starbucks.We also thank MiLi, Oishi, Unilab, Team Manila and Chops Chicago Steakhouse. Thanks to our volunteers and to those who have been working behind the scenes or snaking around us, the production team. Palakpakan naman natin sila.

TweetUpMNL is happy to be a co-organizer of your Social Good Summit.

Blessed John Paul II visited the Philippines twice during his papacy.

The Roman Catholic Church on May 1, 2011 beatified Pope John Paul II, giving him the title of “Blessed” and taking him one step closer to sainthood.

Here is the full English text of Blessed John Paul II’s profile as published in the “Booklet for the Celebration” released by the Vatican for the mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI honoring and extolling the departed pontiff

Monique Wilson, a respected stage actress, writes about the Willie Revillame and TV entertainment. Photo from http://eye-in-the-blue-sky.blogspot.com

Willie Revillame’s treatment of Janjan who was made to dance like a gigolo on his primetime game show beamed on national television last March 12 has attracted a whole array of opposition and strident criticism, and, of course, defense from his diehard fans and defenders of his new home network.

Monique Wilson, a respected stage actress, gives us another point of view, and a call to her colleagues in the Philippines.

Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. Photo from the Ombudsman's official website.

Merceditas Gutierrez, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s choice of ombudsman, now faces two impeachment complaints now being heard in a single proceeding by the House justice committee.

Previous impeachment proceedings against Gutierrez failed when the House of Representatives was still controlled by a pro-Arroyo majority. The new proceeding should have a different outcome. It is only reasonable to expect that the new majority, led by partymates of President Benigno Aquino III, would muster the political will to impeach Gutierrez in the House and send her to the Senate for an impeachment trial.

Photo from maxdy1412.wordpress.com

While Filipino netizens are pressing government, Congress included, for action so we could finally have #betterinternet, some Members of Congress want to do something else: Launch a crackdown on vaguely-defined “cybercrimes”.

Lawmakers have not given up on their dangerous project and on Feb. 2, the House ICT Committee holds a meeting to tackle seven “cybercrime” prevention bills that are pending in the current Congress.

Legislators packed the session hall of the House of Representatives for President Aquino's speech. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez via Yahoo! News)

Here is a text of President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino’s first  State of the Nation Address which he delivered on July 26, 2010 before a joint session of Congress at the Batasan Pambansa Complex in Quezon City:

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte; Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Vice President Jejomar Binay; Chief Justice Renato Corona; Former Presidents Fidel Valdez Ramos and Joseph Ejercito Estrada; members of the House of Representatives and the Senate; distinguished members of the diplomatic corps; my fellow workers in government;

kabataanpartylist2010In a decision promulgated and announced today, the Supreme Court granted the petition of Kabataan Partylist Rep. Raymond Palatino and several new voters and national youth organizations to compel the Commission on Elections to extend the voter registration until January 9, 2010 as provided for by law.

The court decision is “immediately executory”.

This is clearly a victory for new voters and Kabataan Partylist, and a slap on the face of the Comelec which has refused to abide by the law and illegally shortened the period of registration by 70 days.

Below is the full text of the Supreme Court decision:

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Any citizen may question the imposition of martial law before the Supreme Court. (Photo grabbed from WikiPilipinas.)

The National Union of People’s Lawyers, Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, Gabriela Rep. Liza Maza, Bayan Secretary-General Renato Reyes Jr. and this blogger today went to the Supreme Court to file “A Very Urgent Petition for Certiorari and Prohibition with Very Urgent Application for a Temporary Restraining Order and/or Preliminary Injunction” at the Supreme Court.

Docketed as G.R. 190301, the petition asks the Court to nullify Proclamation 1959 on two grounds:

  1. It is unconstitutional; and
  2. It adversely affects and jeopardizes the people’s demand for justice forthe victims of the Maguindanao massacre.

Here is the full text of the petition:

President Arroyo with ARMM Governor Zaldy Ampatuan and Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. (right) -- Photo grabbed from the Times of London
President Arroyo with ARMM Governor Zaldy Ampatuan and Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. (right) -- Photo grabbed from the Times of London

Here is the full text of President Arroyo’s declaration placing Maguindanao under martial law:

PROCLAMATION NO. 1959

PROCLAIMING A STATE OF MARTIAL LAW AND
SUSPENDING THE PRIVILEGE OF THE WRIT OF
HABEAS CORPUS IN THE PROVINCE OF
MAGUINDANAO, EXCEPT FOR CERTAIN AREAS

comelecsealThe Commission on Elections en banc on Tuesday adopted a resolution deleting 26 partylist organizations from the official list of accredited national, regional or sectoral parties, organizations or coalitions under the partylist system.

In Resolution No. 8679, signed by the Chairman and all commissioners,  the Comelec cited Section 6 of Republic Act 7941 (Partylist System Law)  which states that the poll body may remove or cancel the registration of partylist groups that fail to participate in the last two elections or fails to win at least two percent of all votes cast for partylists.

The deleted partylists are:

Jovito Palparan (Courtesy of Bulatlat.com)
Jovito Palparan (Courtesy of Bulatlat.com)

A low-profile Member of Congress broke his silence last week and launched a stinging tirade and expose against controversial former general-turned-Bantay Rep. Jovito Palparan.

Palparan is widely known as “the butcher” for “inspiring” the extrajudicial murder of activists when he was still an officer of the Philippine Army. If you remember, despite this bloody human rights record, President Arroyo singled out Palparan in one of her SONA speeches.

In his speech last Sept. 14, Rep. Reynaldo Uy of Western Samar did not mince words. It was at times shocking, at other times humorous, but the speech highlighted once more how Palparan demeaned the Philippine Army before and further besmirches Congress at present:

Nielsen Media presented anew on Thursday night the highlights of the Yahoo-Nielsen study titled Net Index 2009 Philippines which is touted as “the first in-depth media study of internet users in urban Philippines”.

Jay Bautista, executive director of Nielsen Media, presented the results of the study last night before members of IMMAP, journalists and bloggers at a bar at Bonifacio High Street, The Fort.

Download the highlights of the study as presented by Bautista through the link below: